A drive in the countryside

On Thursday, I went to JPJ Banting to convert a client's Provisional driving licence to a full licence as well as renew another client's full license. The conversion and renewal just took a few minutes as I was the only person in the queue.

Actually, as soon as I reached the JPJ counter, it started raining cats and dogs and I had to wait for the rain to abate before I could even get to my car.

These red water apples Syzygium samarangense are being sold for RM5.00 a kg. US$1=RM3.70

On the drive back, I stopped at a fruit stall along the road somewhere near Olak Lempit and bought some cut fruit ~ jambu air Syzygium samarangense (syn. Eugenia javanica) ~ for RM1. It was a mix of the green and purple varieties, and they were very sweet and juicy. I had them with powdered "asam boi". Scrumptious!

These rambutans Nephelium lappaceum L. are being sold for RM2.50 a bunch.

At the next stall, about a kilometre down the road, I bought a bunch of rambutans Nephelium lappaceum L. for RM2.50. They seemed to be a hybrid of sorts as the colour was a mottled mix of yellow and red. They were very sweet and "lekang," as "lekang" as the yellow "Rambutan Gading" cultivar.

Somewhere near Bukit Changgang, I gave in to temptation. There is a sideroad heading north that I have noticed many times before, but never had the time to explore. It has a sign that said "Petaling Tin Berhad 2.4 km." I had always assumed that this sideroad would lead to a tin dredge.

Well, I took the turning and soon the road gave way to a sandy lane. I drove for ages, but there wasn't a tin dredge in sight. After a few kilometres, I turned left onto a narrow single-lane asphalt road at Kampung Orang Asli Pulau Kempas. I don't know what "pulau" means in the orang asli language, but its certainly not "island" as in Malay. There is another orang asli village near Cyberjaya called Pulau Meranti. As meranti and kempas are names of tropical hardwood trees, I suspect "pulau" probably means "grove."

After a further few kilometres, I passed Kampung Orang Asli Bukit Cheeding and recognised where I was. I had been here two decades ago, to visit the Bukit Cheeding Estate, a plantation owned by Boh Tea that grows lowland tea.

Eventually, I reached the main Klang-Banting road, somewhere near Sungai Sedu. I turned left towards Sungai Manggis, turned left again there and headed home.

Copyright 2003-2006 Azlan Adnan Legal Notice